Quite often the classroom is buzzing with LOUD noises which echo forth from the mouths of MANY babes (sometimes up to 32 of them in the one room!) If you're not a teacher, just envision this for a minute...you've invited 32 children into your 50 square metre house and you're trying to capture their attention, whilst keeping them interested and working productively for at least 30 minutes. You can only imagine how noisy this situation would be and how the noise would bounce off walls, creating a reverberation of colourful sounds. This picture is not uncommon to the everyday teacher. Children are easily excitable and if the content is delivered well, the children SHOULD BE buzzing with enthusiasm, where they're bursting to share ideas, insights and new discoveries. I am not advocating that the classroom should always be noisy, but I do want to draw your attention to the table below and whether or not your classroom is exceeding appropriate decibel levels for the prolonged time you're with your students in such a condensed space. If you are concerned about the continuous noise levels in your classroom, then you might want to consider having a Monster in your room!
I was recently sent the link for MailChimp and immediately thought that it could be a useful tool for teachers. Teachers of the 21st century are constantly looking for new ways to inform parents electronically and en masse, since it’s one of the quickest and most effective ways to communicate with their clients. MailChimp does just that and would be more suited to individuals who regularly send out group notices or bulk emails. The website offers various newsletter templates and options to customise your campaign (newsletter). It’s certainly well worth checking out if you manage a club or specialised group within the school and are required to regularly inform the school community, or if you’re a teacher who’s expected to send out class newsletters to parents each term.
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